News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-02-03
THE SERGEANTS DAUGHTER.
Story of the War Told by an Ex-R ebel.
From the Detroit Free Press. I

| [From the Detroit Free Pressl
| The Second Sergeant in my company
as we lay at Dalton and thereabouts il
the winter of 1864, was a young mar
named Tom DufieId. He was a genera
tavorite with all except the First Lieu
tenant, and we afterwards came to know
that the feud between them dated back
to the day when Toms wife gave him
her hand in marriage instead of to the
other. That there was trouble between
them all knew. The Lieutenant had
come to our company by assignment
from a different regiment altogether,
and that's the way he and Tom Duffield
came face to face after many years.
Then the officer began system of per-
| secutiOn which he meant should end in
Toms death in some way or other.
1t is needless to explain to an old vet
eran that the company commander can
persecute one of the rank and file in
| hundred ways and not render him
liable. He tripped Tom up on the
slightest pretext; he reported him for
scout duty and had him sent where he
hoped he would never return; he ag-
gravated him into answering back, and
then had him reduced to the ranks for
insubordination. We who saw and
knew it all coolly advised Tom to shoot
the man down in cold blood, but he
would not proceed to that extremity.
He sent him challenge, but went to
the guard-house to pay for it.
This state of affairs was going on
when orders were issued to furiough all
men who had reasonable excuses for 90
ing home, and who did not live too far
away. Sergeant Tom had a daughter
about four years old in his mountain
home up around Marietta, and three or
four letters had come to him about little
Katie. Sho had been dragged down by
fever, and was slowly dying, and the
wife was begging for Tom to come
home before it was too late. 1t was
good excuse for him to 90, and he was
soldier who had earned his furlough if
any of us had. He went to the Lieu
tenant to make application, and the re-
ply he got was:
''That's no excuse. It will be the
fighting men who go from my com
panyp
That night Tom Duff1eld deserted
Half dozen of us stripped ourselves to
help him off, and he took a government
horse and rode straight for his home
and dying child. We managed to con
ceal his absence for twenty four hours,
and then a detail of men took up his
trial. There were plenty OF men taking
French leave just then, and the General
was winking at it, believing they would
return before the campaign opened.
The Lieutenant made the biggest XII
of a fuss over this case, however, and
by his talk and stir got some of the
provost guard sent off to bring Tom in
dead or alive. The sergeant in charge
of the fellows was on good terms with
the Lieutenant, and in this case could
be used as tool. have no doubt that
it was put up between them that Tom
should never come back.
The details as I afterwards came to
know them, bore ont the idea When
the sergeant reached home Katie was
dead. and his wife dJngcIcuslv III.
There were a few neighbors lcft-poor,
old and crippled. One of them made a
coffin, another dug a grave on Toms
own farm, and one morning the grief
stricken father took the plain box on
his shoulder and went out almost alone
men had come up with him the night
before, but instead of going to the
house and taking him prisoner, they
lay in ambush near the grave. The
coffin had been lowered into it, and
poor Toms tears, were wetting the
bouquet of mountain flowers which the
women had gathered in token of their
love, when the guards rushed out cry
ing:
Surrender! surrender! If you don't
surrender, We'll shootl'
I tell you, Sergeant Tom hadn't
gotten the ears out of his eyes to see
them, when they shot him dead. Fe
hadn't moved as much as hand. He
fell right into the grave, on top the
coffin and before night his wife was
corpse. knew the men who enlarged
the grave to hold the three, and it was
from them that got the details I have
given you. When the news came back
to the company the Lieutenant was re-
ioiced. We did not know the full
horror of the case then, but we sus-
pected that something was wrong. and
more than one vowed vengeance on the
officer. l myself meant to kill him at
the first opportunity, and I believe
others made the same grim resolve.
In the spring, when Sherman a1-
vanced, and one day when our brigade
was rushed into hot spot to hold in
check the move of a Federal division,
my time came. A regiment swept up
on our flank, creating confusion and
disorder, and in the smoke and panic I
looked for the Lieutenant There was
a fash of fire and smoke in front of me
and a Federal shell struck him full in
the breast and tore him into fragments
so small that 10 effort was made to
gather the remains together He, of
score or more of men thickly grouped,
was alone struck, and what wonder if
we whispered that it was the vengeance
of God2